Added on 07/11/07

Sarah Susanka contends that people are naturally drawn to intimate spaces. Large structures inspired by outdated patterns tend to result in houses that just don?t work. In The Not So Big House, she proposes clear guidelines for creating homes that... See more

Sarah Susanka contends that people are naturally drawn to intimate spaces. Large structures inspired by outdated patterns tend to result in houses that just don?t work. In The Not So Big House, she proposes clear guidelines for creating homes that serve spiritual needs as well as material requirements. Topics covered include designing for specific lifestyles, budgeting, building a home from scratch, and using energy-efficient construction. With more than 200 color photographs as well as floor plans, the book is perfect for homeowners ready to rethink their space. See less

Highlights: $22.95

Added on 07/11/07

One of the world's most respected domestic architects, University of Oregon graduate Sarah Susanka is known to readers as the author of a The Not So Big House books, which teach how to get the most out of a home's square footage in order to enjoy the... See more

One of the world's most respected domestic architects, University of Oregon graduate Sarah Susanka is known to readers as the author of a The Not So Big House books, which teach how to get the most out of a home's square footage in order to enjoy the lifestyle you hope to foster within its walls. Devoted fans will be impressed, but probably not so surprised, by The Not So Big Life, in which Susanka applies the principles of her trade to everyday living. If your days have becomes as cluttered as your closets, if you wish your time could be spent in more purposeful, fulfilling endeavors, her exercises and common sense stories will help you blueprint a personal remodel of your own. Recommended by Kyle, Powells.com See less

Highlights: $17.46

Added on 03/15/07

The Motorola HS850 is the company's update to their HS810 headset, one of my personal favorites. The changes made to produce the new HS850 are few, but the effect is relatively substantial. But first, let's start with what is the same. Like the... See more

The Motorola HS850 is the company's update to their HS810 headset, one of my personal favorites. The changes made to produce the new HS850 are few, but the effect is relatively substantial. But first, let's start with what is the same. Like the HS810, the HS850 makes use of a body design that employs a folding microphone boom. The folding microphone boom acts as the on and off switch, as well as just providing a convenient way to make the headset smaller and more pocketable when not in use. When a call comes into your phone, you can turn on and answer the phone at the same time just by unfolding the microphone boom. You can end the call and turn it off by removing the headset and re-folding it. Using the headset in this way conserves battery power, since no battery juice is wasted on standby time - time where the headset sits around waiting to be contacted by a mobile phone or other compatible device. The physical design of the HS850 and the battery savings it imparts is my... See less

Added on 03/15/07

Founder and publisher Jann S. Wenner's brainchild remains the standard by which rock & roll magazines are measured, though even its most fervent boosters would concede there've been some growing pains for RS as it's strived to remain relevant through... See more

Founder and publisher Jann S. Wenner's brainchild remains the standard by which rock & roll magazines are measured, though even its most fervent boosters would concede there've been some growing pains for RS as it's strived to remain relevant through the decades. The erstwhile baby-boomer bible mixes fleshy covers of today's alluring celebs with coverage of graying rockers from the magazine's heyday. In addition to celebrity interviews, stalwart features such as CD reviews and Random Notes (the mag's long-running gossip section) provide familiar reading for older readers, as does the publication's superior political and cultural coverage. But the bulk of Rolling Stone's features are aimed at the younger pop-culture set. --Steven Stolder See less

Added on 01/03/08

"The delicious dishes described in the latest cookbook from Chez Panisse founder Waters, such as a four-ingredient Soda Bread and Cauliflower Salad with Olives and Capers, are simple indeed, though the book's structure is complex, if intuitive. After... See more

"The delicious dishes described in the latest cookbook from Chez Panisse founder Waters, such as a four-ingredient Soda Bread and Cauliflower Salad with Olives and Capers, are simple indeed, though the book's structure is complex, if intuitive. After a useful discussion of ingredients and equipment come chapters on techniques, such as making broth and soup. Each of these includes three or four recipes that rely on the technique described, which can lead to repetition (still preferable to a lack of guidance): a chapter on roasting contains two pages of instructions on roasting a chicken (including a hint to salt it a day in advance for juicy results), followed by a recipe for Roast Chicken that is simply an abbreviated version of those two pages. The final third of the book divides many more recipes traditionally into salads, pasta and so forth. Waters taps an almost endless supply of ideas for appealing and fresh yet low-stress dishes: Zucchini Ragout with Bacon and Tomato, Onion... See less

Highlights: $35.00

Added on 03/15/07

A proud working-class woman, an "out" lesbian long before the Rainbow revolution, Joan Nestle has stood at the forefront of American freedom struggles from the McCarthy era to the present day. Featuring photographs and a new introduction by the... See more

A proud working-class woman, an "out" lesbian long before the Rainbow revolution, Joan Nestle has stood at the forefront of American freedom struggles from the McCarthy era to the present day. Featuring photographs and a new introduction by the author, this classic collection which intimately accounts the lesbian, feminist and civil rights movements through personal essays is available again for the first time in years. See less

Added on 03/15/07

Affinity is a tale of power and possession that Henry James himself might admire. In her first novel, Tipping the Velvet, Sarah Waters explored secrets and longing--capping off this lesbian romp with a utopian-socialist vision. Her intricate... See more

Affinity is a tale of power and possession that Henry James himself might admire. In her first novel, Tipping the Velvet, Sarah Waters explored secrets and longing--capping off this lesbian romp with a utopian-socialist vision. Her intricate follow-up is just as sensual but infinitely darker, its moral more difficult to descry. Its stylistic and psychological rewards, however, are visible at every turn, the author's persuasive imagination matched by her gift for storytelling. In late September 1874, Margaret Prior makes her way through the pentagons of London's Millbank Prison, a place of fearful symmetry and endless corridors. This plain woman on the verge of 30 has come to comfort those behind bars, several of whom Waters brings to instant, sad life. And our Lady Visitor plans to take her role dead seriously, having recovered from two years of nervous indolence in her family's Chelsea house. One person, however, makes her job a passion. Opening an inspection slit (or "eye" as... See less

Added on 03/15/07

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Added on 03/15/07

Featuring the dazzling talents of favorite lesbian authors such as Ruthann Robson and Jane Futcher as well as exciting contributions from new writers such as Yolanda Wallace and Alaina Zipp, these tantalizing stories of love and lust are a feast for... See more

Featuring the dazzling talents of favorite lesbian authors such as Ruthann Robson and Jane Futcher as well as exciting contributions from new writers such as Yolanda Wallace and Alaina Zipp, these tantalizing stories of love and lust are a feast for the libidinous literary mind.Leslea Newman has written and edited more than 20 books, including Pillow Talk and Pillow Talk II. A native New Yorker, she lives in Northampton, Mass. See less

Added on 03/15/07

Bike Lust roars straight into the world of women bikers and offers us a ride. In this adventure story that is also an insider's study of an American subculture, Barbara Joans enters as a passenger on the back of a bike, but soon learns to ride her... See more

Bike Lust roars straight into the world of women bikers and offers us a ride. In this adventure story that is also an insider's study of an American subculture, Barbara Joans enters as a passenger on the back of a bike, but soon learns to ride her own. As an anthropologist she untangles the rules, rituals, and rites of passage of the biker culture. As a new member of that culture, she struggles to overcome fear, physical weakness, and a tendency to shoot her mouth off-a tendency that very nearly gets her killed. Bike Lust travels a landscape of contradictions. Outlaws still chase freedom on the highway, but so do thousands of riders of all classes, races, and colors. Joans introduces us to the women who ride the rear-the biker chick, the calendar slut straddling the hot engine, the back-seat Betty at the latest rally, or the underage groupie at the local run. But she also gives us the first close look at women who ride in their own right, on their own bikes, as well as a new... See less

Added on 03/15/07

The final work from "one of the few truly great writers to come out of Latin America in this century" (Chicago Tribune)Critics worldwide have praised Reinaldo Arenas's writing. His extraordinary memoir, Before Night Falls, was chosen by the editors... See more

The final work from "one of the few truly great writers to come out of Latin America in this century" (Chicago Tribune)Critics worldwide have praised Reinaldo Arenas's writing. His extraordinary memoir, Before Night Falls, was chosen by the editors of The New York Times Book Review as one of the fourteen "Best Books of 1993" and was hailed as "one of the most shattering testimonials ever written" by Mario Vargas Llosa. His fiction "reveals a profoundly original writer . . . Reading Arenas is like witnessing a bare consciousness in the process of assimilating the most universal, but powerful, human experiences and turning them into literature" (The New York Times Book Review).The Color of Summer, Arenas's finest comic achievement, is the fourth novel in a quintet he called the Pentagonia. Although it is the penultimate chapter in his "secret history of Cuba," it was, in fact, the last book Arenas wrote before his death in 1990. (The final volume, The Assault, was written first and... See less

Added on 03/15/07

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Added on 03/15/07

Fingersmith is the third slice of engrossing lesbian Victoriana from Sarah Waters. Although lighter and more melodramatic in tone than its predecessor, Affinity, this hypnotic suspense novel is awash with all manner of gloomy Dickensian leitmotifs:... See more

Fingersmith is the third slice of engrossing lesbian Victoriana from Sarah Waters. Although lighter and more melodramatic in tone than its predecessor, Affinity, this hypnotic suspense novel is awash with all manner of gloomy Dickensian leitmotifs: pickpockets, orphans, grim prisons, lunatic asylums, "laughing villains," and, of course, "stolen fortunes and girls made out to be mad." Divided into three parts, the tale is narrated by two orphaned girls whose lives are inextricably linked. Waters's penchant for byzantine plotting can get a bit exhausting, but even at its densest moments--and remember, this is smoggy London circa 1862--it remains mesmerizing. A damning critique of Victorian moral and sexual hypocrisy, a gripping melodrama, and a love story to boot, this book ingeniously reworks some truly classic themes. --Travis Elborough, Amazon.co.uk See less

Added on 03/15/07

The 11 short stories and one novella in Girls Will Be Girls may satisfy, for the moment, Leslea Newman's large, enthusiastic readership, who will relish her arch humor in stories like "Eggs McMenopause," in which a woman of a certain age decides that... See more

The 11 short stories and one novella in Girls Will Be Girls may satisfy, for the moment, Leslea Newman's large, enthusiastic readership, who will relish her arch humor in stories like "Eggs McMenopause," in which a woman of a certain age decides that the only way she can grasp the fact of her many shed eggs is by buying several hundred chicken eggs at the grocery store, a few dozen at a time, and distributing them around her small apartment. In the titular novella, Newman turns her attention to infidelity, hovering between the comic and the tragic as she describes the breakdown of a long and stable (read: static and dull) relationship between Gwen, a therapist, and her artist girlfriend, Didi, who "couldn't have asked for a more considerate lover. No, what she wanted was a less considerate lover.... A lover who didn't care if her teeth were brushed or if she was going to rip Didi's dress or ruin her brand new manicure." What happens when Gwen's handsome new client gets a look at Didi... See less

Added on 03/15/07

"From Mary Wollstonecraft on, the great feminist icons were anything but saints," writes this literary critic, chair of the Princeton English Department, and '60s feminist activist. Choosing from her personal list of heroines, Elaine Showalter... See more

"From Mary Wollstonecraft on, the great feminist icons were anything but saints," writes this literary critic, chair of the Princeton English Department, and '60s feminist activist. Choosing from her personal list of heroines, Elaine Showalter illuminates the lives of American and English female intellectual notables from the 18th century to the present, and demonstrates the timeless division in the feminist psyche between the need for independence and the need for love. She begins with Wollstonecraft, author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, who was the first to call for political, emotional, and sexual liberation. Wollstonecraft's own life anticipated all the contradictions between theory and practice that would challenge women, as she extolled reason and independence over passion, then became suicidal over the abandonment of her lover. Olive Schreiner was the chief spokeswoman for the New Women of the late 19th century, a group that felt compelled to sacrifice love or... See less

Added on 03/15/07

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Added on 03/15/07

It used to be that women and girls had to fight just to get a chance to compete on a track, or a soccer field, or basketball court. Now, female athletes are shattering the records in every sport and having a great time doing it. But where are the... See more

It used to be that women and girls had to fight just to get a chance to compete on a track, or a soccer field, or basketball court. Now, female athletes are shattering the records in every sport and having a great time doing it. But where are the pictures of these great sportswomen, where are the words that describe their experiences?Here. Play Like a Girl is a labor of love from two women who are devoted to women's sports. Together, they searched through thousands of photographs and read hundreds of books to find the perfect match of words and images to celebrate today's female athletes. Their book is an inspiring affirmation for every girl who plays a sport, and every one who would like to. See less

Added on 03/15/07

Here is a new collection of Leslea Newman's fiction at its finest. In A Stone's Throw, two butch buddies become more than buddies, though neither of them will admit it. In Mothers of Invention, one woman in a relationship wants a child, but her... See more

Here is a new collection of Leslea Newman's fiction at its finest. In A Stone's Throw, two butch buddies become more than buddies, though neither of them will admit it. In Mothers of Invention, one woman in a relationship wants a child, but her partner won't learn the true meaning of compromise and commitment. And in Girls Will Be Boys, a straight woman-at least she thinks she's straight-discovers a shocking fact about her "boyfriend." Whether the stories are serious, as in Keeping a Breast when a woman discovers a lump in her breast while making love, or hilarious, as in Flights of Fancy when a femme surprises herself by being attracted to another femme, She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not showcases Newman's talent for portraying the lesbian community in all its glory with compassion, wit, and heart.Marketing Plans:National Advertising: The Advocate, Girlfriends, Sojourner, The Lesbian Review of BooksAdvance Reader CopiesAuthor Appearances: Boston, Amherst, New York, Philadelphia,... See less

Added on 03/15/07

Dan Savage is irreverent, irrepressible, and opinionated. He's held his own on Politically Incorrect, told tales on This American Life, continues to write a beloved nationally syndicated column-and he's had it up to here (my hand is higher than my... See more

Dan Savage is irreverent, irrepressible, and opinionated. He's held his own on Politically Incorrect, told tales on This American Life, continues to write a beloved nationally syndicated column-and he's had it up to here (my hand is higher than my head) with the moral, conservative scolds who proclaim America is slouching towards Gomorrah (to use Robert Bork's phrase). Are we really that bad? Yes, we are! And in Skipping Towards Gomorrah, Dan Savage eviscerates those cynics as he commits each of the Seven Deadly Sins himself (or tries to) and finds those everyday Americans who take particular delight in their sinful pursuits. Among them: Greed: Gamblers reveal secrets behind outrageous fortune. Lust: "We're swingers!"-you won't believe who's doing it. Gluttony: Dan meets gluttons with attitude at a pro-fat conference. Sloth: Leave it to Dan to find a way to celebrate this sin that will get him in trouble with his mother. Anger: Texans shoot off some rounds and then listen to Dan fire... See less

Added on 03/15/07

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Added on 03/15/07

The second novel in the Pentagonia, this is a phantasmagoric novel of adolescent rebellion and political revolution."A beautiful, heartfelt book by a passionate and epic writer at the height of his powers." --Oscar Hijuelos

The second novel in the Pentagonia, this is a phantasmagoric novel of adolescent rebellion and political revolution."A beautiful, heartfelt book by a passionate and epic writer at the height of his powers." --Oscar Hijuelos See less

Added on 03/15/07

"A fascinating look at the psychology of fear and persuasion." —Monica Drake, The OregonianWith strong on-the-ground research and lucid analysis, Arlene Stein sets out to discover why the people of a town with no apparent queer population... See more

"A fascinating look at the psychology of fear and persuasion." —Monica Drake, The OregonianWith strong on-the-ground research and lucid analysis, Arlene Stein sets out to discover why the people of a town with no apparent queer population were hell-bent on getting rid of those individuals' "special rights."The Stranger Next Door's contemporary subject and theoretical breadth coupled with a remarkable lack of jargon should make it a sociological classic.... A wonderful companion to an introductory sociology course, as well as courses on theory, sexuality, deviance, inequality, and religion .—Mary Bernstein, American Journal of Sociology"By combining the meticulousness of an ethnographer with a writer's commitment to storytelling, Stein has written a book that's surprisingly compelling-or, better, compelling because it's surprising." —David L. Kirp, The Nation See less

Added on 03/15/07

The heroine of Sarah Waters's audacious first novel knows her destiny, and seems content with it. Her place is in her father's seaside restaurant, shucking shellfish and stirring soup, singing all the while. "Although I didn't long believe the story... See more

The heroine of Sarah Waters's audacious first novel knows her destiny, and seems content with it. Her place is in her father's seaside restaurant, shucking shellfish and stirring soup, singing all the while. "Although I didn't long believe the story told to me by Mother--that they had found me as a baby in an oyster-shell, and a greedy customer had almost eaten me for lunch--for eighteen years I never doubted my own oysterish sympathies, never looked far beyond my father's kitchen for occupation, or for love." At night Nancy Astley often ventures to the nearby music hall, not that she has illusions of being more than an audience member. But the moment she spies a new male impersonator--still something of a curiosity in England circa 1888--her years of innocence come to an end and a life of transformations begins. Tipping the Velvet, all 472 pages of it, is as saucy, as tantalizing, and as touching as the narrator's first encounter with the seductive but shame-ridden Miss Kitty... See less

Added on 03/15/07

This first novel in Arenas's "secret history of Cuba"-- a quintet he called the Pentagonia--is a powerful story of growing up in a world where nightmare has become reality, and fantasy provides the only escape."One of the most beautiful novels ever... See more

This first novel in Arenas's "secret history of Cuba"-- a quintet he called the Pentagonia--is a powerful story of growing up in a world where nightmare has become reality, and fantasy provides the only escape."One of the most beautiful novels ever written about childhood, adolescence, and life in Cuba." --Carlos Fuentes See less

Added on 03/15/07

Consistently lauded for its lively, readable prose, this revised and updated edition of A People's History of the United States turns traditional textbook history on its head. Howard Zinn infuses the often-submerged voices of blacks, women,... See more

Consistently lauded for its lively, readable prose, this revised and updated edition of A People's History of the United States turns traditional textbook history on its head. Howard Zinn infuses the often-submerged voices of blacks, women, American Indians, war resisters, and poor laborers of all nationalities into this thorough narrative that spans American history from Christopher Columbus's arrival to an afterword on the Clinton presidency. Addressing his trademark reversals of perspective, Zinn--a teacher, historian, and social activist for more than 20 years--explains, "My point is not that we must, in telling history, accuse, judge, condemn Columbus in absentia. It is too late for that; it would be a useless scholarly exercise in morality. But the easy acceptance of atrocities as a deplorable but necessary price to pay for progress (Hiroshima and Vietnam, to save Western civilization; Kronstadt and Hungary, to save socialism; nuclear proliferation, to save us... See less

Added on 03/15/07

In 2000 Vermont became the first state to grant gay and lesbian couples the right to join in civil unions-a groundbreaking decision that has inspired similar legislation in six states thus far. But it was not an easy victory; the ruling sparked the... See more

In 2000 Vermont became the first state to grant gay and lesbian couples the right to join in civil unions-a groundbreaking decision that has inspired similar legislation in six states thus far. But it was not an easy victory; the ruling sparked the fiercest political conflict in the state's memory. David Moats was in the thick of it, writing a series of balanced, humane editorials that earned a Pulitzer Prize. Now he tells the intimate stories behind the battle and introduces us to all the key actors in the struggle, including the couples who first filed suit; the lawyers who spent years championing the case; and the only openly gay legislator in Vermont, who ensured victory with an impassioned, deeply personal speech on the House floor at a crucial moment. Civil Wars is a remarkable drama of democracy at work on a human scale. See less

Added on 03/15/07

A friend was looking for a great book for a young woman, to help ease her into adulthood. The usual fiction fare came to mind, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, To Kill a Mockingbird, and so on. Then I came across Game... See more

A friend was looking for a great book for a young woman, to help ease her into adulthood. The usual fiction fare came to mind, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, To Kill a Mockingbird, and so on. Then I came across Game Face: What Does a Female Athlete Look Like? and immediately decided this was the perfect choice for a preteen girl. In fact, it's a great addition to your mother's coffee table, your best friend's bookshelf, and your sister's "girls rule" collection. Created and edited by Jane Gottesman, and including a foreword from Penny Marshall, this book takes you on a romp through women in sports from the 19th to the 21st century. The pictures capture superstar athletes like Serena Williams and Jackie Joyner-Kersee, along with small-town sports victors like the determined young "tomboy on a skateboard." The photographs range from showing the agony of defeat to the gritty triumph of victory on the faces of women from all around the world. It's a truly... See less